Marcionism

Marcionism was a sect of early Christianity which existed from 144 to 208 AD. It was founded by Marcion of Sinope, and the sect denied the humanity of Jesus, arguing that he was God appearing in the illusion of human form. The Marcionites also denied any connection between Christianity and Judaism, even refusing to accept the Jewish God as the God of Jesus; they believed that the harsh Jewish God could not be the same as the forgiving God of Christianity. The Marcionites did not accept the Jewish scriptures, and they believed that Paul the Apostle was the only person who truthfully reported about Jesus' life and death. The Marcionites had their own New Testament canon, consisting of just 11 books (including an edited Gospel of Luke). The sect existed into the fifth century, although their appeal was limited due to their insistence that they were a new faith, unlike the Christian Church's view that their church was the continuation of Judaism.